We love going to the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets, it is one
of our absolute favourite things to do on a Saturday. Held in the grounds of Ramsgate Public School, it has all the elements
of a perfect day – delicious food to eat, beautiful fresh produce and
ingredients to take home to cook with, gorgeous things to admire (and sometimes
buy), live music, and a bouncy castle with a well-managed queue. Everyone wins!
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| The Stuntman having a go at hopscotch at the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets |
I especially love it as the market stalls have a real focus
on wholefoods, and there are loads of things that I can eat! Sometimes when we
go out there is absolutely nothing the Stuntman and I can eat (needing dairy
and soy free as a minimum), and it is so frustrating!
But at the Ramsgate Foodie Markets there are lots of dairy-free options, a few stalls selling Paleo treats, and my most favourite Fijian man at The Coconut Shop stall selling coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut kefir, coconut flakes, coconut chips, coconut cake… well, you get the picture I’m sure.
But at the Ramsgate Foodie Markets there are lots of dairy-free options, a few stalls selling Paleo treats, and my most favourite Fijian man at The Coconut Shop stall selling coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut kefir, coconut flakes, coconut chips, coconut cake… well, you get the picture I’m sure.
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| Kombucha, coconut oil, cacao nibs and kelp noodles Paleo staples from the Ramsgate Foodie Markets |
Nobody there looks at me like I’m crazy when I question the
ingredients in something. Stall owners know exactly what I mean when I say “does
that contain soy flour?”, or “is this beef from grass-fed cattle?”. I have more
than one option for lunch. In fact, I have too many options for lunch, so
sometimes have two or three different lunches. Followed up by a dairy-free
sorbet, because, well … because I can! The dairy-free chocolate sorbet
from the Big Sister Horsie Gelato stall is to die for. Better than Messina’s
dairy-free chocolate sorbet, and that’s saying something!!
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| Big Sister Horsie Gelato stall |
There’s even a stall
selling homemade almond milk, just in case you haven’t had a chance to make
your own ;) (haha). I feel at home at these markets, I feel like I belong. I’m
not the weirdo asking weird questions and needing weird things to eat.
The crowd at Ramsgate Foodie Markets is a total mixed bag –
your stereotypical dreadlocked, tie-dyed market-dwelling hippies are in
abundance, but so are suburban mums, chefs, snobby foodies, down-to-earth
foodies, funky foodies, people with allergies, Paleo followers, vegetarians,
carnivores, local families and everyone in between. People from every
ethnicity, all colours, all shapes and all sizes. It’s like a little cross
section of Sydney, in one easy-to-navigate pocket.
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| Gorgeous princess dresses |
There are stalls selling everything you can think of,
food-related and otherwise – spices, fresh meat, cured meat, bread, fresh fruit and
veg, seafood, sweet treats, nuts and seeds, coconut products, vegetarian foods, vegan
foods, flavoured olive oils, handmade soaps, massage oils, lovely smelly
hippy-style things, kids’ clothes, women’s clothes, bags, gorgeous jewellery
and accessories, boutique wines, cheeses, dips, and more...
For lunch, you could have an empanada (Chilean), some sushi
(Japanese), a pho (Vietnamese), a green curry (Thai), some dumplings (Chinese),
an arancini ball (Italian), pide (Turkish), souvlaki (Greek), or a Syrian
toasted sandwich (umm… I’m going to guess, Syrian?).
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| The empanadas from Pochito are amazing (or so I'm told - they're full of cheese so I can't try them!) |
Topped off with a coffee with cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk.
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| Oh, hello handsome man selling almond milk coffee ;) |
Mr McD favours the meat rolls for his lunch – pulled pork
roll with slaw, roast lamb roll with gravy, Angus beef roll with horseradish…
generally not all on the same day, but sometimes it’s just too hard to choose.
Corn fritters, quinoa salads, vegan sausage rolls, kombucha, kefir, handmade pasta… pretty much
anything you can think of to eat, you’ll find at the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets.
The bouncy castle is the kids’ favourite part of the markets,
and is run by a lovely woman named Bella. I’m pretty sure she was a door bitch
in a former life; she runs the queue like a pro. For $5 each, your kid can jump on and off that bloody bouncy
castle all day – it’s bloody brilliant. Once they get the magic stamp on
their hand, they’re free to jump and bounce and jump and bounce to their hearts’
content (or until they vomit, whichever comes first – generally depending on
whether they’ve had ice cream yet).
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| Bella's bouncy castle |
A new addition to the markets is face painting – we haven’t
tried this yet as Little Miss was too ‘shy’ last week and the Stuntman won’t
sit still for long enough, but next time we go it’s on the list for sure. Even
if it’s just me getting it done!
So if you’re in Sydney and love a fun family day out, I would
really recommend checking out the Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets.
Details:
Ramsgate Organic Foodie Markets
http://www.organicfoodiesmarket.com.au/
Every Saturday, from 8am – 2pm
Ramsgate Public School - corner Chuter Ave and Hawthorne Sts, Ramsgate Beach NSW 2217
Have you been to the Ramsgate Foodie Markets? Or do you have any other family-friendly market days to share?
